Part 2:
From a broken past, a brighter future will emerge.
Chapter 12:
Miracle after Miracle


Tsubasa and Shirabe's POVs:
Frontier


The battle between Chris and Zwei Wing rages on, the duo tagging out in random intervals to try and trip up Chris' attacks, but Chris still holds her ground. "Why did you betray us, Yukine?" Tsubasa asks, but Chris stands there silently.

"Oi! Answer the question, Chris!" Kanade barked, annoyed by Chris' silence, only for Chris to send a barrage of bullets her way.

Seeing the opening, Tsubasa charges at Chris, only for her to block the incoming slash with her pistol. "What are you trying to achieve?! What could be worth betraying your friends? Betraying Kamui!" Tsubasa restates, the last part getting under Chris' skin, causing her to fight a little more sporadically.

"I won't let anyone else bear my cross!" Chris finally replied, much to Tsubasa's surprise.

However, in that moment, Tsubasa notices something flashing around Chris' neck. Tsubasa tried to get a closer look at it, but was quickly blown away by a bullet she managed to block at the last possible second, getting caught by Kanade before she could get knocked too far away. "You alright Tsubasa?" Kanade asked.

"I'm fine, thank you." Tsubasa replies. "Kanade, when I give the signal, follow my lead." She says this quieter than before as to not alert Chris. Kanade is confused at first, but ultimately decides to trust whatever plan Tsubasa has in store.

As for the wielders of Zababa's blades, they momentarily stop their duel to talk, weapons still raised. "What do you mean by 'while you're still you'?" Shirabe asks, unsure of what her friend meant earlier.

"Finé's soul exists within me, and it'll awaken any moment now." Kirika answered without hesitation, finding no point in hiding the truth any longer. "I'm one of the Receptor Children who were brought to that orphanage. There was always a possibility that this would happen."

"Then I must try even harder to stop you." Shirabe says, readying her weapons once more for combat. "So you don't lose any more of yourself. To protect the Kiri-chan I know and love."

In a mix of anger and slight fluster, Kirika readied her weapon as well. "Don't say you love me! I love you way more dess! That's why... I'm going to protect the world in which the people I love live!"

"Kiri-chan./Shirabe." Both Shirabe and Kirika say as they activate Twin Moon Karma and Sealed Strike: Pinocchio respectively and take to the skies. "I'm telling you that I love you!" Their battle begins once more.


Serena's POV:
Frontier


Serena receives another call from Kana. "Hibiki and I are in position! Waiting on your arrival before continuing onward!" Kana said.

"Understood. We're on our way." Serena says as both parties hang up the phone. "We'll do what we can to have them apprehended before you arrive, Commander."

Genjuro nodded as he got into the Jeep with Ogawa. "To think this is all thanks to my troublesome little student." Genjuro said.

"Shouldn't we just be happy she gave you this chance?" Ogawa replied in defense of Hibiki. As much as he wanted to be mad, he couldn't help but agree with Ogawa on that note. "I know I shouldn't need to say this, but be safe out there you two." Lilith and Serena nodded.

"See ya in a bit, Ogawa-senpai!" Serena says before herself and Lilith vanish from Section Two's HQ.

A moment later, Serena and Lilith successfully arrived at Frontier's core building where Kana and Hibiki were waiting for them. "Nice work Kana." Serena says, happy to see her sister, but notices there's someone missing. "Where's Shirabe-chan?"

"She stayed behind to hold off Kirika-chan for Hibiki and I." Kana answered. "In fact, I'm going back to help her. That and try and stop their fight. So whichever comes first, I'm going to do."

Kana prepares to fly back over to the Zababa duel, but suddenly Sakuya called Serena. "Good. I was able to get ahold of you, Serena-san. Before you continue with your mission, you and anyone with you need to see this." Suddenly, a video appears on Serena's screen, a video of Maria.

"It's a video broadcast from Frontier to the whole world." Aoi added.


"I am Maria Cadenzavna Eve. In order to minimize the damage caused by the falling Moon, I falsely claimed to be Finé. The irregularities in the Moon's orbit caused by the lunar attack a few months ago were, at the order of Director Adam Weishaupt, kept secret from the public by the US, the Security Council, and the Bavarian Illuminati. The truth was very inconvenient to an elite class that exclusively controls a portion of both the political and economic spheres. Up until now, I have lied about everything, so I'm not confident that anyone will be willing to hear me out. But if you are to believe anything, it's the fact that songs can become power!" Suddenly, Maria pulls out her Black Gungnir Symphogear and begins to transform.


"Granzizel bilfen Gungnir zizzl"


(Ressō Gungnir begins to play)

"Alone, my power is far from enough to stop the falling Moon. So I ask you now, please, lend me your songs!" from that point onward, Maria sings with everything she has, hoping that the world listened to her plea.


"Maria-san..." Serena says, seeing the truth to Maria's words. "We have to help her."

"Then let's get going!" Hibiki said confidently.

The group nodded in agreement. "You three do what you can to help her, I'm going to help Shirabe-chan!" Kana said as she left. "Good luck you three!"

"Same to you Kana!" Serena replies, before catching up with the others.

As they hurry down the halls of Frontier, they suddenly hear the sound of someone suffering from a coughing fit. "You hear that?" Lilith asked.

"I did." Serena answers. "We may need to make a slight delay in helping Maria-san."

Wasting no time, Hibiki began to run ahead again, much to the surprise of Lilith and Serena. "You two help that person, I'll go help Maria-san!" She said.

"But without a Gear, you won't stand a chance against Maria-san!" Serena says, concerned for what Hibiki plans to do.

"I'm not going to fight her!" Hibiki retorted. "Gear or not, these fists will always be used to help others first!"

Serena could tell that Hibiki has made up her mind. Instead of trying to stop her, she simply nods. "Then please be safe, Hibiki-chan." Serena says, receiving a thumbs up from Hibiki as she kept running towards the bridge. As for Serena and Lilith, they continue to follow where the coughing fit came from, ending up in the control room of Frontier. After being amazed by the technology around the room, Serena notices someone else within the room. "Dr. Nastassja Sergeyevna Tolstaya."

"So you've come..." Nastassja said, turning around to face Serena, who of which is shocked to see the blood dripping from her hand and staining her clothes. "Serena Cadenzavna Eve..."

"You know who I really am?" Serena asks, trying to be as professional as possible despite how disturbed she was by Nastassja's less than ideal condition.

"You, much like Maria, were always so kind despite everything that happened at the orphanage." Nastassja said. "The day we lost you is one that I will never forget. So when we discovered you were still alive and well, I couldn't believe my eyes." Another coughing fit erupted from Nastassja.

"Dr. Nastassja!" Lilith shouted with concern, running over to the ill doctor and trying to heal her with her magic, which stopped the coughing as well as the bleeding. "I apologize for changing the subject, but we must know what you and the rest of F.I.S. are trying to do. What is with that broadcast?"

Clearing her throat before talking, Nastassja explains the situation. "From the research I've been able to do from here, I've learned that the Moon is actually an observation device set up by the Custodians, to strip humanity of its mutual understanding."

"So Finé was right about the Moon..." Serena mutters to herself.

"The Lunar Attack shut down some of its functionality." Nastassja continued. "But if the Moon can be restarted, it can be returned to its original orbit. But in order to do that, massive amounts of Phonic Gain are required."

"So she started the broadcast not just to atone for past actions and reveal the truth to the world, but she also aims to have everyone sing together to save the world from the Moon?" Lilith summarized.

"Precisely." Nastassja answered.

"Then I want to make a deal with you." Serena says. "I'm going to go help Maria-san stop the Moon's descent. When this is over, I want you to tell me everything you know about my past. Deal?"

"Of course." Nastassja accepted Serena's deal.

"Lilith, can you stay here with Dr. Nastassja? In case... that... happens again." Serena motions to the blood on Nastassja's clothes. "And when we're done, take her back to HQ for proper medical attention."

"That's what I was planning on doing regardless." Lilith said, chuckling at the fact they both had the same plan. "Now go. Maria-san needs all the help she can get." With a nod, Serena leaves the control room and heads for the bridge as Hibiki had.


Chris and Tsubasa's POVs:
Frontier


Back to the fights, Chris did everything she could to shoot at Tsubasa, who also did her best to deflect Chris' bullets. "I'd hurry if I were you." Ver said to Chris via communicator. "Otherwise you won't get the toy you want so badly."

Chris grit her teeth at Ver's practically taunting tone. "Solomon's Cane... Humanity shouldn't have access to a power that only kills others."

At the same time, Tsubasa is able to get a closer look at the collar around Chris' neck. "Is that collar how they're controlling Yukine?" Tsubasa thought. Not long after, she gets her chance to speak to Chris once more. "Tell me Yukine, what is so important to you that you're willing to wear a dog collar for?"

"What can I say? The dirty work always falls on the ones without homes." Chris retorts. "Am I wrong?"

Tsubasa can see she is finally able to manage more than a few words out of Chris, so she eases up slightly and smirks. "Even if I have to drag you there by your neck, I'm taking you back to where you belong, to your home." Chris blushes slightly at Tsubasa's words, quickly hiding her face to had her fluster. "It doesn't matter how strongly you refuse my wishes, I will help you. It is my duty as your senior to do so. Besides, you can't fly with a single wing. Isn't that right, Kanade?"

Kanade smirked. "She's right, Chris-chan. We will help you with what you want, and so will everyone else at Section Two."

These words from the Zwei Wing duo finally broke through Chris' cold exterior. "Don't you dare talk as if you understand!"

"What are you waiting for?" Ver chimed in again over Chris' Comms. "There's very little time until the collar around your neck explodes."

This made Chris begin to worry, but she then turns to the duo, weapons ready to continue fighting if Chris initiates combat again. But this gave Chris an idea, one she never could've imagined doing anytime soon. "Kazanari-Senpai." Tsubasa and Kanade are surprised that Chris finally called Tsubasa by name, more the former than the latter. "With this next attack, I will end this fight with a combination I've been working on."

Tsubasa is able to see what Chris is trying to do. "Then we shall give you our all as well!" Tsubasa says, turning to Kanade and signaling to her to follow her lead, preparing a blue flash in the process.

The fight starts one last time, Tsubasa managing to disable one of Chris' guns with her blue flash as Chris uses the remaining gun to fire a Billion Maiden, which the Zwei Wing Duo try their best to block as they prepare to end the fight. With the small window she managed to open, Chris prepares and fires the biggest Mega Deth Party she could manage as Tsubasa and Kanade prepare One Thousand Tears and STARDUST∞FOTON to counter it. The attacks collide and the resulting explosion engulfs all three fighters.

Dr. Ver watched as the fighters fell into a cave opened from their explosion. The sight of it all filling him with joy. "Just as I had planned! Hell yeah!"


Shirabe, Kirika, and Kana's POV:
Frontier


(Edge Works of Goddess ZABABA begins to play)

As one fight ended, another still raged on. Shirabe and Kirika were matching each other's attacks perfectly and dodging with every chance they could. It helped that they knew practically everything about each other. Eventually they could both feel their compatibility levels drop and momentarily stopped fighting. As this happened, Kana returned to help. "Shirabe-chan!" Kana shouts as she lands next to the pink Gear wielder.

Shirabe notices Kana's arrival, but quickly turns her attention to Kirika. "Kiri-chan, we don't have to do this!" Shirabe pleads.

"If you want to stop me, then you'll have to do it by force." Kirika replies, tossing an injector at Shirabe's feet. "If things aren't going the way you want, then you'll have to force them to do so."

"You don't have to do this, Kirika-chan!" Kana tries to reason.

"There's no time and no other way dess!" Kirika retorts. "This doesn't concern you anyway, so get out of our way unless you want to be killed in the crossfire!"

Kana sighs at the irrational attitude of Kirika, but gets a slight sense of déjà vu from it. "Kana-san?" Shirabe asks the dragon wielder. "Please leave the rest of this to me. However, I do have one favor to ask: Could you do that thing you did before for Kiri-chan and I? The thing where you empowered us?"

Kana smirks at the request, activating her Augmentation ability for Kirika and Shirabe's Gears to boost their power. "Good luck, Shirabe-chan." Kana says before flying far enough away to watch their fight, and intervene if needed.

With Kana out of the way, Kirika puts the LiNKER injector to her neck and injects the substance into herself.


"Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal"


Shirabe follows suit and injects the LiNKER Kirika gave her while singing her Superb Song.


"Emustolronzen Finé el balal zizzl"


"Igalima's Superb Song is a blade that cuts through its victim's soul!" Kirika says, stabbing her scythe into the ground as the pole of it extends outward. "However, I'm only going to use it to remove enough of your stubbornness..."

"I'm the one being stubborn?" Shirabe retorts as she begins to transform her Gear through its own Superb Song. "The world I long for has to have you in it, Kiri-chan. I don't want a world where I'm without you!"

Shirabe's transformation completes just in time to counter Kirika's attack, which only makes the latter grow more desperate. "I'm going to protect Shirabe, even if Finé's soul erases mine!"

"The people the doctor saves will lose everything they love, just like me!" Shirabe says while trying to block Kirika's next attack, which easily breaks a huge piece of her Gear's mech-like weapon. "Even if I survive in a world like that, I'll never be able to sing again!"

"But it's the only way!" Kirika retorts. "This is the only way! Even if it means you hate me!" Kirika brings her giant scythe down and breaks what remained of Shirabe's weaponry, leaving her practically defenseless for her next attack.

"Kiri-chan, please, stop fighting!" Shirabe begs. "Don't take the Kiri-chan I know and love away from me!" Kana could see that Kirika wasn't going to listen to Shirabe and considered intervening, but remembered something Shirabe had up her sleeve, something she knew she had access to.

With all her options exhausted, Shirabe puts her arms out in front of her to shield herself from Kirika's attack, but as the attack was about to land, Finé's Asgard appeared to save Shirabe. She was honestly surprised by this sudden power, but Kirika was scared to see it again. "N-No way... All this time, it was you, Shirabe?" Kirika mutters, shaken by the truth that had come to light to her. "Shirabe's the one who's Finé's vessel, but I..."

"Kiri-chan..."

"I don't want you to be sad... But all I did was make you cry!" Kirika interrupts Shirabe, motioning her hand and sending her scythe skyward. Kana saw this and couldn't help but get a bad feeling from it, sprinting over to stop her. "I really am an awful girl, aren't I? I just want to disappear."

As Kana and Shirabe feared, Kirika was planning to use Igalima to kill herself, but Shirabe wasn't about to let that happen. "No. Kiri-chan!" Shirabe shouts, rushing over to push Kirika out of the way. Seconds later, the Scythe came down a pierced its target: Shirabe.

Kana stopped her advance momentarily, shaken at the sight before her. "Shirabe-chan!" Kana screams, quickly rushing over to the Zababa wielders.

Hearing Kana's panicked scream snaps Kirika out of her suicidal trance, and in that moment, she sees her best friend standing before her, her scythe embedded into her back. "Shirabe!"


Chris and Ver's POV:
Frontier


Following the battle, Ver checks the newly formed crater to confirm that the wielders were killed in the explosion. "Symphogear-wielders are not needed in the world I shall crea-" He says, slipping on the steep slope he was walking down, but he is quick to get back up and brush himself off. "That's why I made them fight one another. If anything, I expected the result to be a lot more one-sided than it was, but I'm happy with the end result." Ver looks over in the cave and is surprised by what he sees: Chris, still in her Gear, standing over the unconscious and untransformed bodies of Kanade and Tsubasa. "HUH?!"

"I followed my end of the deal, Doc. Section Two's wielders have been taken care of." Chris says, turning to face the doctor as her Gear starts to fall apart. "Now give me Solomon's Cane."

"Did you honestly think I was going to follow such a disadvantageous deal from a child like you?" Ver retorts, pulling out a detonator and smiling as he presses its button, but nothing happens. He tries again, and again, and again, but still nothing happens. "Why the hell is it not exploding?!"

"Because it's broken dumbass." Chris answers, ripping off the broken collar with ease. "It was way too obvious that you weren't going to hold up to your end of the deal." Chris starts to approach Ver, who falls over out of panic. In this moment of panic, however, Ver pulls out Solomon's Cane and summons Noise to surround Chris. "Noise? Now of all times?"

Chris tries to access her weapons, but is immediately met with a sharp pain in her body. "I may be predictable to you, but Anti-LiNKER is not as easy to predict." Ver says, laughing as he has put Chris in an unwinnable situation, or so he thought.

"Then fly... Armor Purge!" Chris shouts, exploding her armor and taking out a massive amount of Noise and forcing Ver to retreat behind cover. When the dust settled, Ver checked to see if Chris was still there, but she had disappeared. He looked around worriedly to find her, but she appeared out of nowhere and slapped the cane out of his hand. Chris wanted to go after the Cane now that it was out of Ver's reach, but there was another problem to deal with, the Noise that survived her Armor Purge. Seeing as she was now defenseless, Chris was starting to get worried as well. "Senpai!"

Suddenly, a flurry of swords began to shoot out from within the cave as well as a giant tornado that engulfed the Noise that weren't hit by the swords. The sudden attack caused dust to pick up a lot more than when Chris use her Armor Purge, but from that dust stood the Zwei Wing wielders, clad in slightly different, yet familiar, versions of their Symphogears.

(Zettō Ame no Habakiri begins to play)

"Impossible!" Ver shouts in disbelief. "They deliberately chose Gears with a lesser phonic gain as to ease the stress of the Anti-LiNKER? They can do that?"

"With ease..." Chris answers. "It would be stupid to underestimate what they can do." Immediately, the Zwei Wing duo goes to work dealing with the remaining Noise. "Like the combination attack we worked so hard to perfect." Chris explains. "Even if I was blindfolded, I would know exactly what to expect. And I knew she would too. All because we were able to understand each other with a single word, I could let her play along with my stupidity, and her best friend would follow her lead without question."

"Screw this! I'm getting out of here!" Ver shouts as he heads for the opening he entered through, without Solomon's Cane.

Seeing the doctor leave, Tsubasa and Kanade were able to make even quicker work of the Noise as Chris reverts her transformation and dons her Lydian uniform once more. "Recovery complete." Tsubasa said, handing Chris Solomon's Cane. "Now we can take it easy."

"Th-Thank you..." Chris says. "And sorry for running off on my own..."

"Don't worry about it." Tsubasa reassured Chris. "I was reminded I can't do anything on my own, either. Besides, I was lucky to see a part of you very few people have seen."

Chris was flustered at this compliment. "Even so, how did you know I wasn't bluffing?"

"Because you called me your senpai." Tsubasa answered. "So I had no reason to not hear you out."

"That's all it took?" Chris asks, to which Tsubasa nodded.

"Alright you two, lets go meet up with Hibiki-chan and the others." Kanade interjected. "Besides, you've got some explaining to do for Kana-chan."

With everything settled, the Zwei Wing duo lead the way out of the cave. "Those two really are something else... But like it or not, them and the others are my home now, and I wouldn't have it any other way." Smiling to herself, Chris follows after Tsubasa and Kanade.

Meanwhile, Ver was retreating to the bridge of Frontier, cursing up a storm. "Dammit! I can't believe I allowed myself to lose Solomon's Cane!" he says. "I'm going to have Maria make them pay!"


Kana and Shirabe's POVs:
Frontier


As for the other battle, the result wasn't a ruse. Shirabe was truly injured by Kirika's Igalima and the two reverted to their normal attire, the latter crying over the former. "Shirabe... Please wake up Shirabe!"

"Kirika-chan!" Kana shouts, finally reaching the Zababa duo. "It's not too late to save her. If you let me heal her, I can bring her back."

"Y-You can do that dess?" Kirika asked through her tears. "Then please! Save Shirabe!"

Considering the effects it had on Serena, Kana was hesitant to ever try and heal someone with her full power again. But considering the situation, she had no other options. "Gods, if this works, please don't give her amnesia..." Closing her eyes, Kana focuses all of her power into her hands and places them over Shriabe's wound.

For a brief moment, before light engulfed the three of them, Kirika saw Kana's Gear change it's appearance into a more angelic one, which had quite an impact on Kirika's view of Kana. "Please save her, Kana-sama!"


Shirabe's Consciousness


After protecting Kirika from her own attack, Shirabe woke up in a strange, ocean-like realm with a single silhouette looking over her. "Kiri-chan... No? Which means you are..."

Shirabe's vision of the silhouette finally focuses, revealing Finé. "Does it really matter?" Finé asked.

"It matters a lot. My friend is crying and someone else is reaching out for me." Shriabe answers.

"That is true." Finé said. "I had initially intended to stay quiet, without erasing someone else's soul. But I suppose I had no other choice. After being hit by a strike that tears the soul in two, I won't last long, even with Kana-chan's healing giving me a bit more time."

"You saved me?" Shirabe asks. "But why?"

"Because I want you to tell her something for me." Finé explained. Shirabe was confused who "her" was, but let the priestess continue. "For millennia, I have been the villain. However, it is far past my time to play the role of a hero, especially in this day and age. However, you of the present, you have the opportunity to be such a hero."

In that moment, Shirabe knew who Finé was talking about: Hibiki Tachibana. "Sometime in the future, people will be connected once more. However, such a time isn't one a ghost should be responsible for bringing about." Finé continued, her soul starting to fade away. "But while I still persist, allow me to give you something that can assist you in the future." Finé holds her hand above Shirabe, transferring a glowing ball of light from her hand to Shirabe's body, the latter of which absorbing said ball of light. "I know you will find a good use for this gift. But now, it's time you returned to the world of the living. Farewell..."


The light dissipates around the group. Kana was back in her normal Gear attire and the wound on Shirabe's body was healed. "Did... Did it work dess?" Kirika asked as she looked to Kana and back to Shirabe. Kana didn't answer, mostly due to how exhausting the healing spell was on her physically and also out of worry that, if she succeeded, Shirabe would end up like Serena did.

"Did what work, Kiri-chan?" Shirabe asks, waking up and sitting up to face Kirika and Kana.

"You're okay! But..." Kirika stopped herself, wanting to make sure that she was talking to her best friend and not the ancient priestess. After a long and audible stare from Shirabe, Kirika's prayers were answered. "Oh thank goodness dess!" Kirika said as she wrapped her friend in a strong and tear-filled hug.

As Kirika cried into her shoulder, Shirabe noticed Kana give her a look that practically asked if her revival was truly her doing, to which Shirabe gave Kana a so-so hand signal, which the dragon girl accepted. "You didn't answer my question, Kiri-chan. What worked?" Shirabe says, acting like she didn't know what actually happened.

"Kana-sama saved you with her healing powers dess!" Kirika explained, which instantly surprised Kana.

"'Kana-sama'?" Kana asks for reassurance.

"That's right dess!" Kirika answered. "You saved Shirabe's life with that cool angel-like form of yours, so my life is yours to command!"

Kana chuckles nervously at Kirika's explanation. "'Angel-like form'? Wait, that's not important right now. Kirika-chan, you don't need to treat me like I'm royalty, really. I mean, sure I am royalty where I come from, but I don't want to force people to view me as such here."

Kirika's mouth dropped at hearing Kana say that. "You're a real princess dess?!" Kirika lets go of Shirabe and quickly bows before Kana. "Then you must allow me to be your humble servant dess! That is the only way I can truly repay you for saving Shirabe's life!"

Kana sighs at Kirika, regretting telling her about her royal background, but she then chuckles. "So there's no way for me to consider us even and just be friends?" Kana asks, to which Kirika shakes her head.

"I must do this dess! I will still happily accept your friendship, but I will be your loyal servant first and foremost dess! Well... Shirabe will always come first and foremost, but my service to you is a close second." Kirika assured.

"Well... If things weren't lively before with Chris and the others, then my life is about to get that much more crazy..." Kana says to herself, coming to terms with Kirika's pleas to serve her, but vowing to never abuse this trust. "Very well... Then my first request to you is that you help us save your friends."

Kirika is surprised by Kana's request, but is then snapped out of it by a hug from Shirabe. "Kana-sama's right Kiri-chan. Let's save Maria-san, together."

"Et tu, Shirabe-chan?" Kana sighs under her breath. "Well then, let's regroup with the others, shall we?" Kana says. Kirika replied with a single "Dess!" before picking herself and Shirabe off the ground and following Kana to the other Section Two wielders.


Maria and Hibiki's POVs:
Frontier bridge


Maria cried on the floor in her Gear, failing to activate the Moon's lunar ruins as Nastassja was hoping to. "Maria, you need to try and reactivate the lunar ruins again." Nastassja said over Maria's communicator.

"I can't!" Maria denies. "My songs can't save the world..."

"Maria, this is our last chance to stop the Moon from falling to the earth." Nastassja tried to reason with her, but Maria's attention turns to a new arrival to the bridge: Dr. Ver.

"What are you doing?!" Ver shouted, charging at Maria and smacking her aside with his powered-up arm. "I won't be able to do as I please unless the Moon falls!"

"Maria!/Maria-san!" Nastassja and Lilith both shouted over the bridges Comms, which alerted Ver.

"I should've known. That old hag put you up to this." Ver said as he activates the bridge of Frontier. "And it seems she's already sided with the enemy as well. What a disappointment you are, Nastassja."

"Listen to me Dr. Ver!" Nastassja pleaded. "If we can use Frontier to fire the collected phonic gain at the Moon, and reboot the ruins that control the Curse of Balal, we can return the Moon to its proper orbit!"

The doctor was not going to hear it thanks to his fury at the loss of Solomon's Cane and his deteriorating mental state. "If you want to activate those damn ruins that badly, then how about you and your new friend go do it directly!" Ver said, pressing the sphere that controlled Frontier.

Seconds later, the building that served as Frontier's control room was launched into the sky and out into space. "Mom!" Maria shouts, concerned for the life of the woman who raised her.


Serena's POV


Serena felt the rumble caused by the building's launch into orbit and became concerned. "Lilith! What's happening?" Serena asks.

"Dr. Ver's returned to the bridge and sent the control room skyward!" Lilith reported. "Don't worry about us though, you have your mission and I have mi-" Serena lost contact with Lilith, the former of which fearing the worst. But Lilith was right, she had to focus on her mission. "Please be okay Lilith... And you too, Mom..."


"The reason why heroes throughout history were unsuccessful at ruling the world is because humanity's numbers were far too great!" Ver continued. "Therefore, by reducing humanity to a very small amount, I shall rule them with ease! This is something only a genius such as myself could've figured out!" Maria watched as the building carrying Nastassja left orbit and headed straight for the Moon and, in that moment, feared that she had truly lost her mother figure. "I've always wanted to be a hero, and now I shall be even greater than that." Ver laughed like a madman, which only made Maria snap.

Maria got up off the ground and summoned her lance, her once calm eyes now filled with rage. "You're going to pay for what you've done to Mom!" Maria says, taking a stance with the intent of killing the mad doctor.

"Oh? You would do something so reckless?" Ver quipped, seeing Maria's rage as another empty threat. "You forget, killing me means killing all of humanity!"

"I couldn't care less!" Maria retorts. "You will die here and now!" Maria charges at the doctor, but is suddenly halted by someone who would block her path. "Out of my way, Human-Relic Specimen One!"

"Not a chance!" Hibiki refuses. "My name is Hibiki Tachibana, age 16! I'm not some 'Human-Relic Specimen'! I'm just Hibiki Tachibana, and I'm here because I wanted to talk to you, Maria-san!"

"I have no reason to talk to you!" Maria retorts. "He killed Mom! And he shall pay with his life! If I can't protect the world, then there's no reason for me to continue living!" Maria continues her charge towards Ver, her lance aimed directly for his wicked heart.

Hibiki was not going to allow Maria to kill the doctor, so she grabs the Black Gungnir's lance with her bare hand, which shocked both Maria and Ver. "You can find your reason later. But for now, don't give up on living!" Maria was taken aback by Hibiki's words, but it was the words that followed that would truly surprise her.


"Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron!"


"A holy chant? Are you insane?!" Maria asks. However, her question is quickly answered as Black Gungnir's lance dissolves into nothing and both herself and Hibiki's bodies are engulfed in a bright yellow light. Unbeknownst to both of them, the world watched as this all happened.


The other wielders' POVs:


Kana and the Zababa wielders looked at the light shining from Frontier's bridge in awe. Kana is able to tell right away what's happening, and smirks. "What's happening dess?" Kirika asks.

"She's saving Maria-san!" Shirabe answers.

However, they weren't the only ones to see this. "Why do I feel like this is the idiot's doing?" Chris asks.

"I feel like that's the only person who could pull off something like this." Kanade adds.

"That's Tachibana for you." Tsubasa adds on top of that.

As for Serena's she received a call from HQ to watch what was going on above her and was surprised by what she was witnessing. "You never cease to amaze, Hibiki-chan."


"What's going on?" Maria asks, not sure at all how to begin to process what was happening. "This shouldn't be possible! The Human-Relic Specimen shouldn't have this kind of power. Is this your song? Did the song in your heart do this? What in the world is your song? Tell me!"

Hibiki didn't answer. But before anything else happened, Hibiki heard someone cheer her on over her communicator. "Do it, Hibiki! With all your heart!" Miku cheered.

In the moments that followed, the light around Hibiki grew brighter. Once the light dissipated, Hibiki stood there, clad in an armor that had seemed lost to her. "Striking Spear Gungnir!"


A/N: There isn't really anything major that needs explaining this time around, so I'll just leave the chapter off here for now.

Thank you for reading. I shall see you all in Part 2's conclusion!